Kukla's Korner Hockey

The new agreement between the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation to not poach players under contract hasn’t even been put into writing yet, but it has already received its first test with reports that Alexander Radulov has signed with Salavat Ufa of the Continental Hockey League.

IIHF spokesman Szymon Szemberg said neither the IIHF nor the NHL has received any official documentation concerning the Radulov signing and all his organization has to rely on are media reports. But he also said if it is true that Radulov has signed a contract in Russia, it is, “a flagrant breach of the agreement.”

The agent for Alexander Radulov wouldn’t say whether or not he approves of his client’s decision to sign a three-year contract with Salavat Ufa in Russia, but he did acknowledge that the Continental Hockey League team offered so much money that it put Radulov in an almost untenable situation.